Master wheel



Jan. 14, 1930. v F, H, T EGO 1,743,639

MASTER WHEEL Filed July '7, 1 928 i f; 6W

INVENTOR FRANK H.TREGO Patented Jan. 14, 1930 NITED STATES PATENT FRANK H. TREGO, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO VARITYPER, INQ, OF NEW YORK,

N. Y., A CORPORATION or DELAWARE MASTER WHEEL Application filed July 7, 1928. Serial 1 lo.291,118.

This invention relates to an improved construction for master wheels from which suitable matrices may be cast in connection with the production of type sets or shuttles such as 5 those commonly attached to typewriting machines of the shuttle type.

The primary object of my invention is to improve the construction of master wheels of this character in such a way as to make it possible, by means of one and the samemaster wheel, to produce the required matrices for making typesets or shuttles embodying types of various kinds as well as various arrangements of types or characters. In its adaptation to the writing of code messages or other records in cipher, my invention contemplates a multiplicityof difierent type sets or shuttles formed from matrices which have been respectively constructed by successively different applications ofthe same master Wheel corresponding to different successive arrangements of interchangeably mounted code-forming characters. Thus, for example, my invention contemplates a plurality of typewriting machines which while they may all be provided with standard keyboards, yet at the same time, may be adapted to write various different codes or ciphers by means of typesets or shuttles formed from matrices constructed from a single master wheel, said typesets or shuttles, however, differing from each :other in the codes or ciphers they "are adapted to record from the same standard keyboard. x i

Particular objects of my invention Wlll appear in the specification and the specific features appertaining thereto will be reclted in the appended claims,reference being, had to the accompanying drawings whichillustrate a preferred embodiment of a master wheel constructedaccording to the underlying principle of my invent-ion; a In the drawings, j, V j V V V Figure '1 is a top plan view of a master wheel constructed in. accordance with the principles of my invention;

Figure 2 is a section of the master wheel corresponding to the line 2-2 of Figure 1 Figure 2 is a fragmentary portion of Figure 2 with the patrix characterremoved; I

' ployed.

. Figure 8 is a front elevation of the master wheel;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of one of the detachable patrix characters removed;

Figure 5 is a front elevation of the same.

Heretofore, it has been customary to constructmaster wheel blanks from an integral block of metal and to provide said blanks with a master surface upon which the desired characters or letters were engraved. This operation of engraving the characters upon a suitably prepared surface is a tedious one involving the expenditure of a great deal of time and labor on the part of a highly-skilled artisan. Moreover, when it is considered that a chance dropping of the master wheel upon a hard floor or an inadvertent knocking of any of its finely finished surfaces or markings may result in injury or total destruction of the master wheel with a consequent loss of two months or more which maybe required to produce a duplicate, the costly nature of the usual well-known methods is readily appreciable.

Heretofore, in the manufacture of typesets or shuttles,it has been necessary to make a new and original master wheel for each and every different kind or arrangement of characters withwhich the shuttles are provided. In the adaptation of typewriting machines for the writing of codes or ciphers, this procedure would necessitate the construction of a new and original master wheel for every dif ferent code or cipher as well as for every different style and form of the characters em- WVith a view to overcoming these draw backs, the presentinvention contemplates one or more replaceable pa'trix characters which are detachably mounted in the master wheel blank and which are preferably interchange able so as to make it possible to reproduce a multiplicity of codes or ciphers of different kinds and characters. For the purposes of illustration, the drawings show an embodiment of my invention according to which some of the characters are engraved directly upon the master surface while others of the characters have been engraved upon removable and interchangeable patrix blocks or insets.

Referring more particularly to the drawings and for the sake of convenience confining the description to the embodiment of my invention shown therein, an integral block or master wheel blank of metal has engraved thereon in a line corresponding to the master surface, a plurality of angularly-spaced letters 2. lntermediately with respect to some of these letters which have been placed farther apart than others, the upper peripheral corner of the master wheel blank 1 has been provided with radial recesses 3 such as that shown most clearly in Figure 2 Extending through the master wheel blank from each of said recesses 3 to the opposite face of the blank is a hole or socket 4. Removably seated in said recess is amaster Wheel unit in the form of a patrix type block 5 which may be provided with a shank or plug 6 fitting into the hole or socket 4. In this manner the patrix block 5 is 'detachably connected to the master wheel blank 1, and made interchangeable with any other of the removably mounted patrix blocks. Engraved upon the outwardly presented surface of each patrix block, is a letter or character 7, the construction and arrangement of the patrix blocks being such that the letters or characters 7 are brought into alinement and properly positioned when the type block 5 is seated within any one of the recesses S. It will be understood from the foregoing description that any of the characters which comprise the .code or cipher may be engraved on the master surf-ice which is formed integral with the master wheel blank 1 or upon one ormore of the interchangeable patrix blocks. In a master wheel constructed in this way, any desired characters and any desired arrangement of characters may be removably and interchangeably set up and from the multiplicity of set-ups thus made possible, suitable matrices may be prepared by means of which various code or cipher typesets or shuttles may be constructed from different prearrangements of the type blocks 5 in one extending therethrough' and with a radial recess extending outwardly through the periphery of said disk at one end of each of said holes, and a type block removably seated in each of said recesses, said type block being provided with a shank fitting into the hole corresponding thereto.

3. A master wheel for code typewriters of the shuttle type, said masterwheel comprising a master wheel blank having a master surface with like curvature to that of the shuttle type-set to be produced and provided with angularly-spaced radial recesses with sockets extending axially through said blank, and type blocks removably seated in said recesses and provided with shanks fitting into said sockets. 1

4. A master wheel atrix die for the forming of matrix dies or code typewriters of the shuttle type, said master wheel p atrix:

die consisting of an approximately circular -disk provided on its outer periphery with matrix-forming characters arranged at variable intervals and wlth intervening spaces between some of said matrix-forming cha'ra'c- 7" ters and those next to them, and matrixforming type removably and interchangeably mounted in said intervening spaces.

5. A master wheel for code typewriters, said master. wheel comprising ablank pro-3" vided with an outwardly-presented cylindrical surface adapted to mold the concave cylindrical wall'of the code-forming matrix, saidmaster wheel havingsome of the characters of a code formed integrally "therewith and projecting outwardly from said outwardly-presented cylindrical surface, and a plurality of interchangeable code characters interposed between some of said integrallyformed code characters, said blanktbeing pro-* vided with recesses within whichsaid interchangeable code characters are removably seated;

6. A master wheel for casting code-forming matrices for codetwpewriters, said master wheel comprising a master wheel blank suitably graved to form a matrix-casting surface and to provide. code characters formed in relief on said surface, and a plurality of interchangeably mounted code char- 7 -acters removably seated in saidmaste'r whe'el blank and-co-ordinately arran ed' with respect to the first-mentioned code characters to constitute a patrix die for casting shuttleforming matrices with different codes.

7. A master wheel for forming the typecasting matrix of a code typewriter, said master wheel being graved to forma matrixcast-i'ng surface with some of the code characters presented in relief from said surface and with interchangeable units provided with other code character's, said inter-changeable units being removably mounted in said master wheel with said other code-characters presented in relief to said matrix-casting surface similar to that of the first-mentioned code characters.

8. A master Wheel for forming type-casting matrices for a plurality of different codes, said master Wheel comprising a blank having a portion of its periphery graved to form a surface conformable to the curvature of the type-sets to be cast in said matrices and with code characters common to all of said codes standing in relief thereon, and a plurality of blocks removably seated in said blank, said blocks being suitably graved to form portions of the matrix-casting surface With interchangeable code characters standing in relief with respect to said surface.

FRANK H. TREGO. 

